Kayla: "I was treated like an adult with lived experiences and opinions."
Kayla, 25, Student
"I left school at the start of my sixth year without completing my Leaving Certificate (the end of secondary school exam in Ireland) due to illness and the fact my school never adequately put support for me to continue my education. I felt like I had been thrown onto the scrap heap as at the time, the Leaving Cert was seen as the only viable route to university. I then tried to complete my exams from home through a distance learning college but that ended up not suiting me at that point.
I then decided to attend an Open Day at my local Further Education and Training (FET) centre where I ended up completing two accredited courses in ICT Skills and Business Administration. At the time, I had no idea that those courses would even lead me anywhere let alone university, but I was very much surprised to find out through meetings with an Adult Guidance Counsellor that it would. My experience in VTOS Roscommon (an adult education centre) couldn’t have been better. It was a refreshing change from secondary school, and I was treated like an adult with lived experiences and opinions. My teachers were so beyond supportive and approachable, and they are still to this day cheering me on.
I’m now in my second year in a Bachelor of Business (Honours) in Digital Marketing in the Technological University of the Shannon in Athlone and I couldn’t be happier. I would’ve never considered pursuing a career in marketing had it not been for the courses I completed. They prepared me hugely for university life and gave me a great base of knowledge for my degree."
Ireland 2023